Ezourvedam
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The Ezourvedam is a forgery "consisting of certain 'Vedic' materials translated by Jesuits with the intention of isolating elements most in harmony with Christianity."[1][2]
History and authorship
A manuscript called Ezourvedam was given to Voltaire in 1760 by Louis-Laurent de Federbe, Chevalier de Maudave.[3] The text was in French, and said to be a French translation of a Sanskrit original.[3] Voltaire was enthusiastic about the work, had it copied, and brought it to the attention of others.[3] It was first published in 1778[4] (Voltaire died that same year). The genuineness of the Ezourvedam was first questioned in 1782; these doubts were confirmed in 1822.[4] Rather than an original Sanskrit work, the Ezourvedam turned out to be a French text, written by French Jesuits, and meant to be translated into Sanskrit.[4]
Title
The name Ezourvedam was sometimes taken to be a corruption of Yajurveda,[4] but the Ezourvedam has nothing in common with the Yajurveda.[4] The Ezourvedam itself refers to the Yajurveda as Zozu-vedam.[4] "Ezour" is the sandhi-form of "Ezous-", that is, "Jezus", based on the Latin pronunciation used by the Jesuits.[5] The name "Ezourvedam" means something like "Gospel of Jesus".[5]
See also
References
- ^ Cowan 2010, p. 40.
- ^ App 2011, p. 52. sfn error: multiple targets (2×): CITEREFApp2011 (help)
- ^ a b c Maurer 1988, p. 326.
- ^ a b c d e f Maurer 1988, p. 327.
- ^ a b Maurer 1988, p. 328.
Sources
- App, Urs (2011), The Birth of Orientalism. Chapter 1: Voltaire's Veda, University of Pennsylvania Press
- Carrillo, Carlos Alonzo (2009), La bestia: controversias del cristianismo, Edamex, ISBN 9786074390018
- Cowan, Robert (2010), The Indo-German Identification: Reconciling South Asian Origins and European Destinies, 1765-1885, Camden House Publishing, ISBN 9781571134639
- Maurer, Walter Harding (1988), "Review of "Ezourvedam: A French Veda of the Eighteenth Century"", Journal of the American Oriental Society 108.2 (1988)
- Rocher, Ludo (1984), Ezourvedam: A French Veda of the Eighteenth Century, John Benjamins Publishing
Further reading
- App, Urs (2011), The Birth of Orientalism. Chapter 1: Voltaire's Veda, University of Pennsylvania Press
- Rocher, Ludo (1984), Ezourvedam: A French Veda of the Eighteenth Century, John Benjamins Publishing